Parma Baseball Club
The Parma Baseball Club is a professional baseball franchise that plays in the Italian Baseball League. Founded in 1950, the team is based in the city of Parma in Italy and plays its home games at the Stadio Nino Cavalli. The club entered the 2019 season ranked 6th in Europe and 2nd in Italy after reaching the 2018 IBL Finals which saw Bologna crowned as Italian Champions. Parma Baseball is sponsored by Parmaclima, Macron and Errea. The club, managed by Guido Poma, finished the 2019 regular season with a 12-11 record, good for 4th place in the IBL, behind Bologna, Nettuno, and San Marino. Parma lost in five games in a thrilling semi-finals to Bologna to end the 2019 season.
One of the most successful clubs in the Italian League, Parma has won 10 IBL championships, as well as 13 European Cup titles. The club finished 4th in the 2019 Champions Cup hosted by rival Bologna.
After a lengthy delay due to the coronavirus pandemic, Parma opened the 2020 season on July 8 with a 11-4 win over Collecchio in Parma. The team plays it's home games at 5,000 seat Nino Cavalli Stadium located in Parma.[1] It is currently the second largest stadium in Italy after Nettuno's Steno Borghese, and along with Bologna's home park, often hosts Italian national team home games. Parma and Bologna served as co-hosts of the 2021 Olympic Qualifiers in September 2019 where Israel earned the Europe/Africa bid to next summers games.
2019
Italian national team players Sebastiano Poma (.380, 4 HR, 26 RBI), Aldo Koutsoyanopulos (.317, 1 HR, 11 RBI), Ricardo Paolini (.308, 1 HR, 17 RBI) led the offense. Veterans Charlie Mirabal (.297, 1 HR, 10 RBI) and Luca Scalera (.364, 1 HR, 8 RBI) also made their impact in the lineup. Erly Casanova led the pitching staff with 50.2 IP to go with a 3.02 ERA and 52 K. Marc-Andre Habeck (2.48 ERA, 38 K in 29.0 IP), Owen Ozanich (3.86 ERA, 18 K in 18.2 IP) and Yomel Rivera (4.50 ERA, 24 K in 18.0 IP) were also very steady. Veteran hurler Mauro Schiavoni proved to be an important addition, the right hander from Argentina posted a 0.00 ERA in the regular season, not allowing a single run in 11.1 IP. He also had an impressive 1.93 ERA in the Champions Cup. Parma finished 4th in the week long tournament where the top 8 club teams face off to crown the new European champion. In the event, Casanova and Habeck led the staff with 8.0 innings pitched, Habeck posted the best ERA (1.12), while Ozanich finished with a team high 9 strikeouts in 5.2 IP. Offensively, Koutsoyanopulos hit .421 (8-for-19), Paolini .353 (6-for-17), Mirabal .333 (5-for-15), Poma .313 (5-for-16) and Alex Sambucci .313 (5-for-16).
Parma foud themselves in a rematch of the 2018 finals, this time in the semis, against rival Bologna. After jumping out to a 2-0 series lead, Parma lost three straight as Bologna came from behind, not only in the best of five series, but in game five as well. Erly Casanova was Parma's top playoff performer, logging 14.2 innings, allowing just two earned runs (1.23 ERA), walking one batter while striking out 15. Yomel Rivera (5.2 scoreless with 3 K), Junior Oberto (1 ER in 5 IP) and Marc-Andre Habeck (2 ER in 7.1 IP) also pitched well in the series. At the plate, in the playoffs, Ricky Paolini (.381), Rafael Vinales (.375), Stefano Desimoni (.333), and Mattia Mercuri (.300) were the club's .300 hitters. Longtime shortstop Charlie Mirabal injured his shoulder diving for a ball in the hole in Bologna, an injury which sidelined him for the first month of 2020 as well.
2020
The 2020 offseason saw many changes to the Parmaclima roster. Gone are pitchers Erly Casanova, Mauro Schiavoni, Marc-Andre Habeck and Junior Oberto. Infielder Mattia Mercuri and catcher Rafael Vinales have also moved on from Parma. Alessandro Deotto returns to the club he called home in 2017 and 2018, Deotto figures to get the bulk of the innings behind the dish, with Riccardo Flisi out for the season due to a hip injury suffered in a friendly game in July. Kevin Alfieri will serve as the number two catcher. Longtime infielder Luca Scalera has opted not to play in 2020. Italian national team hurlers Mattia Aldegheri and Yomel Rivera have confirmed they will be back to solidify the Parma bullpen. Left handed national team pitcher and current Cubs minor leaguer Luis Lugo along with righty Michele Pomponi figure to be the club's two main starters. The 26 year old Lugo posted a 6-0 record, 3.47 ERA in 59.2 innings for double-A Tennessee in 2019 and appeared in a 2020 MLB spring training game where he recorded a scoreless inning for Chicago. Lugo has previously pitched for Parma in 2018 before being signed as an international free agent, and returns following the cancellation of the 2020 minor league season. Pomponi is back with Parma after having missed the entire 2019 season due to injury. French hurler Owen Ozanich is due to report in August, Ozanich was Parma's opening day starter in 2019, when he posted a 3.86 ERA in the regular season and led the team in strikeouts during the European Cup. Veteran lefty Francesco Nardi has pitched well in his second season with the club. The addition of Lugo, along with the return of Pomponi, Nardi and Ozanich should help Parma climb back in the hunt for the second playoff birth and for a spot in the 2020 Italian Finals.
2018 team most valuable player Aldo Koutsoyanopulos, infielder Ricardo Paolini, first baseman Alex Sambucci, and the club's outfielders: Stefano Desimoni, Sebastiano Poma and Leo Zileri will return as well. Zileri is nearing the all time Parma hit record, and could obtain it in early September. Outfielder Alexander Viloria has gotten off to a hot start in his first season with Parma.
The 2020 season features six teams, with 30 regular season games between July 8 and September 12. The two top regular season clubs will advance to the Italian Finals which will feature a best-of-seven series to be played between September 17-26. Parma is 7-6 so far in 2020, good for third place behind Bologna and San Marino.
Schedule/Team Leaders
Current record 7-6
August 14 vs Collecchio (Parma, Italy) 9 PM
August 15 vs Collecchio (Parma, Italy) 9 PM
August 19 vs San Marino (Parma, Italy) 9 PM
August 22 @ San Marino (San Marino) 3 PM/8 PM
August 26 @ Bologna (Bologna, Italy) 8 PM
August 28 vs Bologna (Parma, Italy) 9 PM
August 29 vs Bologna (Parma, Italy) 9 PM
September 2 vs Macerata (Parma, Italy) 8 PM
September 5 @ Macerata (Macerata) 3 PM/ 8 PM
September 9 @ Godo (Godo, Italy) 8 PM
September 12 vs Godo (Parma, Italy) 3 PM/ 8 PM
TEAM LEADERS
AVG: Mirabal .400, Deotto .344, Sambucci .333
H: Sambucci 11, Paolini 11, Koutsoyanopulos 11
HR: Deotto 3, Poma 3, Paolini 1, Zileri 1
RBI: Poma 12, Viloria 10, Zileri 7
IP: Pomponi 18.0, Aldegheri 16.1, Lugo 18.0
W: Nardi 3, Lugo 2, Rivera 1
K: Lugo 34, Pomponi 23, Rivera 19
ERA: Lugo 1.94, Gonzalez 3.65, Pomponi 3.89
2020 Italian Standings
Bologna: 12-0
San Marino: 11-1
Parma: 6-6
Godo: 3-9
Collecchio: 2-10
Macerata: 2-10
Top 2 records advance to Italian Series
Pitchers
Luis Lugo (ITALY)
Mattia Aldegheri (ITALY)
Yomel Rivera (ITALY)
Michele Pomponi (ITALY)
Francesco Nardi (ITALY)
Anthony Gonzalez (VENEZUELA)
Sam Aldegheri (ITALY)
Owen Ozanich (FRANCE)
Catchers
Alessandro Deotto (ITALY)
Kevin Alfieri (ITALY)
Riccardo Flisi (ITALY)
Infielders
Alex Sambucci (ITALY)
Simone Alfinito (ITALY)
Ricardo Paolini (ITALY)
Charlie Mirabal (VENEZUELA)
Tommaso Giarola (ITALY)
Lorenzo Gradali (ITALY)
Francesco Pomponi (ITALY)
Outfielders
Sebastiano Poma (ITALY)
Aldo Koutsoyanopulos (ITALY)
Leo Zileri (ITALY)
Stefano Desimoni (ITALY)
Alexander Viloria (ITALY)
References
- "Stadium Of Baseball Nino Cavalli — Punto dinteresse in Parma, Via Teresa Confalonieri Casati, 22, 43125 Parma PR, Italy,". parma-emilia-romagna.catalogo-online.it.